People Are Torn Over The Jennifer Garner Movie That's Topping The Netflix Charts

Jennifer Garner is one of the most beloved actresses out there. She's had an awesome career full of roles that have ranged from heartwarming to heart-stopping. One of her recent roles was more the latter than the former, and it has her fans torn as it tops streaming charts.

On December 1, Peppermint debuted on Netflix. The 2018 film sees Jennifer play Riley North, a Los Angeles banker whose life is turned upside down when a cartel kills her husband and 10-year-old daughter. After years of laying low, Riley is ready to avenge her family.

The role sees Jennifer returning to her action roots. Alias fans will remember that Jen can be a force in this arena, and she delivered in her role. Still, the movie as a whole wasn't a hit with critics. Critic Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com delved into the problematic stereotypes that echo through the movie. He concludes the one-star review by noting, "Peppermint is kind of funny, but never intentionally."

Many felt conflicted seeing Garner, whose real-life persona is steeped in motherhood and quirkiness, in such a violent, heavy role. While some fans think that it demonstrates her range in her craft, others found it a bad and contradictory choice. San Diego Reader reviewer Scott Marks speculated that the reason Garner took the role, which feels different compared to other recent work of hers, is the money. "Why else would she agree to lend her name to what is essentially gun porn?"

Others, like Garner's longtime stunt double Shauna Duggins, saw it differently. After the film's release in 2018, she imagined Garner as the lead of a female action franchise, Taken-style. Both Taken and Peppermint were directed by Pierre Morel. "It was phenomenal and then they did two more. Jen can pull it off, obviously," Duggins noted to Variety.

"What makes her a phenomenal actress is you can see her in these beautiful love stories and comedies and then she can step right into a revenge movie [like this]," Duggins explained. "She's not just out killing people — you feel every bit of her anguish, her physical pain and her emotional pain, and that's why the audience is rooting for her. You want her to win."